7 Essential Things to do Before Going to Market.

Written by: Peter Verdiglione.
List4Free agent services provider.

If you are reading this then chances are that you may have made the important decision to put your property on the market or are thinking about selling your home. Well, hopefully this handy checklist will help to focus your efforts and energies on the key things you need to tackle with your home to prepare it as best you can to make it as attractive as possible to potential buyers.

Look at Structural Aspects of Your Property

You may not realise it, but when you get potential buyers through your home for a home open they will be looking at the roof, the air conditioning and electrical wiring and the like to ensure that they are in good condition and as they should be. If there is anything that needs to be replaced now is the time because when the time comes for a property inspection to be made, these sorts of things will come up so better to fix sooner rather than later.

Exterior

The first thing that buyers will see when they come to look at your home is the exterior. Does the outside present well? Is there any wood rot? Does the exterior of the house need to be painted? The exterior will feature heavily in your property photos and so making sure it looks its best will be well worth it.

Landscaping

Do you have any landscaping work that needs to be done? Fresh mulch for example can go a long way to sprucing a place up as can some carefully placed rocks and plants. It’s amazing how easy it is to make improvements in a relatively low cost way.

Kitchen

The kitchen is always a key focal point for homebuyers and can make or break a property’s appeal. If your cabinets are looking dated or in need of a refresh a quick coat of paint goes a long way to update them as does adding new cabinet handles. Or if the worktop is looking worn in places then you might be able to find a reasonably price remnant of a granite slab to replace it. Just look at key things in your kitchen that will help to make it pop.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms follow closely behind a kitchen in terms of attracting homebuyers. Quick fixes such as getting the grout redone or putting new fixtures in can help to create value and modernise your bathroom.

Interior

We have talked about the exterior of the property but what about the interior? Are there any scratches on the wall that need to be painted over? Does the paintwork need to be re-done in certain rooms? If you do choose to paint make sure you go for neutral colours that will transition well with any buyer’s furniture. Also look at the light fixtures or ceiling fans as these can be quick and low-cost items to replace.

Flooring

How does your flooring look? Are all of your tiles in good condition or do you need to invest in new flooring? If you can only afford to make the investment in one significant part of your home, consider updating the flooring. There are so many low-cost options to choose from now for flooring that include wood plank tiles and highly upgraded laminate flooring and this will really help to give your home the “wow” factors that homebuyers are always looking for.